Q: While American warplanes bombed the Taliban's forces, the United States began sending military aid to the North ____, a coalition of Afghan groups.

A: The Taliban (Pashto: ??????? ??lib?n "students"), alternative spelling Taleban,[6] is an Islamic fundamentalist political movement in Afghanistan. [ It spread into Afghanistan and formed a government, ruling as the Islamic Emirate of Afghanistan from September 1996 until December 2001, with Kandahar as the capital. However, it gained diplomatic recognition from only three states: Pakistan, Saudi

Arabia, and the United Arab Emirates. Mohammed Omar has been serving as the spiritual leader of the Taliban since 1994.[7]
While in power, it enforced its strict interpretation of Sharia law,[8] and leading Muslims have been highly critical of the Taliban's interpretations of Islamic law.[9] The Taliban were condemned internationally for their brutal treatment of women.[10][11] The majority of the Taliban are made up of Pashtun tribesmen.[12][13] The Taliban's leaders were influenced by Deobandi fundamentalism,[14] and many also strictly follow the social and cultural norm called Pashtunwali.[15]
From 1995 to 2001, the Pakistani Inter-Services Intelligence[16] and military[17] are widely alleged by the international community to have provided support to the Taliban. ]